Compare And Contrast The Buttercream Gangs And Unsung Heroes

Unsung Heroes If there’s something I am good at, it is being lazy and letting my favorite movies roll all day. I am not very good at picking â€Å"good† movies. Most of the films that catch my eye seem to be low budget with poor quality or I don’t give them a chance to intrigue me. When I do finally decide to go beyond the first ten or so minutes, I usually end up so absorbed that I lose track of time and all the obligations I have that day. The movie that comes in at about a four on my favorite movie list is, â€Å"The Sandlot†. Another movie I enjoy but not very publicized is, â€Å"The Buttercream Gang.† After getting down to the nitty gritty, it really amazes me just how similar these two movies really are! Both movies follow the plot triangle very†¦show more content†¦When he went to run away, the Beast follows closely behind and chases the boys. The Buttercream Gang reached the climax when Pete came back home from Chicago and was a ch anged person. He got himself caught up in theft, bullying, and other unlawful nonsense within the town. The rest of the gang tried to mend bridges with him but he did not want anything to do with the boys or the good that they were trying to do. The falling action begins when Benny jumps back over the fence and the fence falls on top of the Beast. Scotty feels bad for the dog and pleads for Benny to help free him. The Beast has a change in behavior and shows the boys all the baseballs that he has accumulated from flying over the fence. The boys of the â€Å"Buttercreamers† decide that they are going to kill Pete with kindness. No matter how rude he was to the boys, they would not stoop to his level. They would simply just â€Å"turn the other cheek.† Finally reaching the resolution, the Sandlot crew grew up and all moved away. Scotty became a baseball broadcaster and the courageous Benny went on to be Benny â€Å"The Jet† Rodriguez and stole home as a Los Angele s Dodger. After hoaxing a kidnapping at his grandfather’s home for money, Pete moved back to Chicago. The folks back home were shocked to see he set up his own low key â€Å"Buttercream gang†. Scotty and Benny both really develop as protagonists. They are dynamic characters who change over time. They went through

The Common Core State Standards - 881 Words

In 2009, states around the country began adopting the Common Core State Standards. These standards were put in place to ensure that each child was on the same academic level by high school graduation. As the global marketplace becomes increasingly more competitive, the United States hopes that Common Core will enable the coming generations to be better prepared. As of right now, my working thesis is Common Core is overall unsuccessful in its effort, and discontinuing or, at the least, replacing it would improve the testing scores /academic progresses, mental health, and attitude towards school of the children in the United States. My two articles, â€Å"Reading Don’t Fix No Chevys (Yet!): Motivating boys in the age of the Common Core,† by Jeffrey D. Wilhelm and Michael W. Smith (2014), and â€Å"Why Massachusetts Gave Up on Common Core,† by Mary Clare Reim (2015), both provide evidence on Common Core to support my thesis. The first article, â€Å"Reading Don ’t Fix No Chevys (Yet!): Motivating boys in the age of the Common Core,† discusses Common Core in relation to young boys’ interest in reading. The authors’ main idea is that boys will become even more uninterested in reading due to the kind of instruction they will be receiving through Common Core. Wilhelm and Smith (2014) introduce their article by stating that boys underperform in literacy compared to girls. â€Å"The most recent example of this underperformance,† states Wilhelm and Smith (2014), â€Å"is the latest [NationalShow MoreRelatedThe Common Core State Standards764 Words   |  4 PagesThe Common Core State Standards are a state attempt to create strong educational standards. The standard are created to ensure that students in the country are learning and grasping the information that are given in the classrooms for them to succeed academically. The Common Core plan included governors and education commissioners form forty-eight sta tes and the District of Columbia. They wanted to make sure the standards are relevant, logical and sequential. For content all subjects must have critical-thinkingRead MoreThe Common Core State Standards 1791 Words   |  7 Pagesnew Common Core State Standards for Mathematics bring a new opportunity to the classrooms of the United States that many people view as a controversial. According to the NCTM (2013) â€Å"The Common Core State Standards offer a foundation for the development of more rigorous, focused, and coherent mathematics curricula, instruction, and assessments that promote conceptual understanding and reasoning as well as skill fluency† (par. 1). 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Business Plan For The Medium Sized Company - Myassignmethelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Business Plan For The Medium Sized Company? Answer: Introduction A structured business plan creates the significant value of the business products or services. Having a vision for the future business determines the long term sustainability in the competitive business ground (McKeever 2016). The act of planning helps business to think concepts or things thoroughly. JAXON is a company which deals in construction it is necessary for the company to have the business plan for growing more in same field. JAXON is a company which operates its business small and large scale construction, repair and alteration projects. There are 200 employees who are working in JAXON Company. Objectives of the Company The Company focuses on fulfilling the following objectives To establish the competitive industrial business with the high quality construction services in next 5 years To enhance the profit by 16% per year with minimum of 5% net profit To negotiate almost 80% of the total contracts for the upcoming 5 years The company is looking forward to build up the team that is much accountable, systemied, and more organized. Safety program for coming next year of JAXON should be excellent and along with that the equipment would be well maintained and high profitable (axon Construction Inc. 2017). In case if company has to transfer from one place to another, company will take help of its fund and with the help of advertisement it would be easy for it to make aware those people who are connected with its project. Executive Summary JAXON is the company which provides services to build residential area and large scale of accommodation projects. JAXON construction has two divisions that are commercial and residential (Goulding et al. 2015). The main focuses of commercial projects are hospitality, agriculture, retirement, retails and education. The main focus of residential area is low price apartments and grouped dwellings. It has a history of constructing not only for commercial building but also for government buildings that reaches back to the 60s. The biggest concern within the JAXON construction industry is the health and safety of its employees. JAXON offers comprehensive services to finish the projects efficiently. These services include design work, remodeling, site preparation, design management construction, sales and leasing, marketing and asset management. The local commercial construction is considered as the booming at the moment (Fulford and Standing, 2014). In order to achieve the secured place in this environment, JAXON need to concentrate on some things that is secure at least four largest commercial contract over the next two years. Construction Company can enhance the marketing expenditure by 10%. In its current form, JAXON group is operating it business in three sections that is JAXON Construction, JAXON Civil and JAXON Property that operates in number of areas such as commercial, residential and the sector of property. It is the aim of the JAXON group to enhance the number of clients by providing excellent services (Gao and Low 2014). It can be done to provide innovation building solutions by keeping value of money. This business plan will be helpful to layout our values and aims to make this transition successful and build efficient market share to sustain in this highly competitive market. Company Structure JAXON Group has been maintaining the lean management structure. The company has reduced bureaucracy for making the easier for the workers to communicate with the decisions makers. The permanent workforce includes about 60 professionals, clerical staffs, technical staffs, and construction staffs (Builderswa.com.au 2017). The decision maker or the project manager is the head for a particular construction project. The management structure is shown below. Diagram 1: Lean Management Structure of JAXON Group (Source: Builderswa.com.au 2017) The associated staffs will be reported to the project managers directly. The regional office or the head office stands in the top position of the hierarchy level. The project manager or the decision maker maintain the instruction and accordingly structure the project. The instruction is further provided to the associated staffs who are involved in the construction process. The systematic planning and scheduling of the process is determined by the project manager. Finally, the work performance of the construction staffs would be monitored. The performance result would clarify whether it is necessary to make any improvements in the project work. JAXON is a company which provides efficient services by delivering solidity built and high quality structure for all purpose of uses. In starting year JAXON started work on commercial tender work. At the same time JAXON put focus of to make position in housing construction and got success to build 8 to 10 houses weekly in the area of metro. In 1968 JAXON set up an office at PortHedland. In 2005 JAXON acquired by Doric and all the commercial projects got separated from JAXON but in 2011 JAXON separated from Doric group (Jaxon Construction Inc, 2017). SWOT Analysis of the Company Strength JAXON has financial stability because it operates its business not only in one section; it has three sections in which it is working. These are construction, civil and property division. JAXON is not working only for commercial purpose but also for residential purpose (Santos and Laczniak 2015). The main strength of JAXON Company is safety, unity, excellence and respect. The main aim of this company is to make satisfy their customer by providing effective services. These services are durability, safety and lightning, beauty, load carrying capacity and parking garages. JAXON has many clients which give it great deals to construct new houses, schools, residential area and many more. Recent clients of JAXON are Frasers property group, Woodside, Public transport authority, Downer Mouchel, University of Western Australia, Access Housing and Minderoo (McKeever, 2016). The term of the company is related with private, government and range of industry sector. With the help of its strength, it can become easy to company to grow easily in same field because the reputation of the company in same filed is exist since 1968 which is great deal. It is the company which know that how to take competitive advantages. Company has been expanded itself for instance it offers civil construction services for infrastructure projects (Ball, 2014). JAXON Property provides a comprehensive integrated service that is tailored to the needs of each individual client or joint venture partner. Chart 1: share of new property sales of Australia Source: (Fulker, Timur, Dew, and Butler, 2016). Weakness It has been observed that f one construction company do business in same construction for a long time that leaves it vulnerable to a slowdown (Gao and Low, 2014). As it deals with high range of products, high cost structure is the weakness of the JAXON company. However, JAXON is using modern machinery to construct building but the uncoordinated workers are the other reason of its weakness. It deals with high range of products. It is required to provide high level of safety to workers but it has been observed that the safety procedures towards its workers are less comparison of other things (Santos, N. and Laczniak, 2015). Opportunities JAXON is a positioned company and well established. It would be opportunity for it to expand its business in all over the world. JAXON is not only working with government sector but also perform its task with highly repudiated private sector. In initiate way, company can shake its hand with well player of Construction Company and after winning their trust on its project; JAXON can contract directly to clients. JAXON can enhance the number of employees for initiating new projects. Apart from that reliable investor and favorable contract terms can be the opportunity for JAXON Company. Threats There can be so many factors which may influence the JAXON construction company in the form of threats. It can be government policy, high level of ground water and natural disaster. These are the forms of threats which JAXON has to face in the progress of the company in the area in which company setup has strong influence. Apart from that there can be other things which can take the fro of threats, it is difference in technical standards and lack of efficient engineer and contractor. Components of the Company The analysis of the components signifies the efficiency level of the organisation to remain competitive in this changing business scenario. The following components are needed to be taken into consideration. Use of the Opportunities JAXON can use above opportunities by setting target market. JAXON Company is known to deal with small as well as medium scale project. Company can expand its nature and scope through designing services specifically. These specific designs should be targeted families, organization, land owners, education campus and businessman as well as businesswoman. It will increase the interest of investor not only within the country but also in all over the world (Fulker et al. 2016). New projects with new technology, culture and structure will enhance the interest of investor to invest. To grab the opportunities, it is necessary for the organization to focus on competitive advantage. Sales and marketing strategy has been implemented by JAXON Company to achieve the aim and objectives, it provide the session of training which will be facilitated to them to know the objectives and norms of company in depth. JAXON Company can adopt number of strategies of sales and marketing including promptness in bidding process and leverage on the internet. Changes to Make JAXON is a Western Australian leading construction company throughout the state over 50 years. The main focus of company is to deliver best quality services to its every component such as residential projects and commercial buildings consisting education field, health centre, retail and office throughout the state (Bajari, Houghton and Tadeli 2014,). JAXON is not constructing house, it is building communities. Offering the high quality products and services is the major strategy to attract more customers. Therefore, it has been observed that the company has been utilizing the opportunities for sustaining the competitive position. Providing the effective training and development session to the construction staffs and making them aware of the workplace safety aspects would reduce the risks of the accidental hazards at the construction sites (Fulford and Standing 2014). On the other hand, undertaking the systematic work functionalities and continuous improvement would be beneficial for accomplishing the project works. In such cases, few changes are needed to be adopted in the management structure. Appointing the performance monitoring team would be much appreciable to identify the potential risks in the business. The maintenance of the team coordination and efficient organisational culture would be much beneficial for improving the project works. Technology The development of the technologies is another key to success in this competitive business market. It has been observed that the people associated with the works at the construction area have been facing the accidental hazards (Ball 2014). The technological development helps in reducing the manual efforts and decreasing the risk of accidents. However, the associated staffs need to gather adequate knowledge about the use of these technologies. It would be much beneficial for them to work without hindrance. Moreover, the technological development helps in increasing the quality of the services as well. The high quality construction works would attract more customers that would count in the profitability parameter of the company. The company would be able to earn more money by drawing attention of more people. Conclusion It has been concluded that business plan is necessary for implementing strategy. It consumes time but the result of business plan will show the path of working systematically. In this business plan JAXON Company has been taken which is working in this field for many years. JAXON has strength and weaknesses as well but it is possible to reduce the effect of weakness with the help of strength. JAXON has mainly three components that is construction, civil and property. JAXON will maintain this construction component by following sales and marketing strategy. References Bajari, P., Houghton, S. and Tadelis, S., 2014, Bidding for incomplete contracts: An empirical analysis of adaptation costs, The American economic review, 104(4), pp.1288-1319. Ball, M., 2014, Rebuilding Construction (Routledge Revivals): Economic Change in the British Construction Industry, Routledge. Builderswa.com.au, 2017a.JAXON Pty Ltd - South Perth Builders WA. [online] Builderswa.com.au. Available at: https://www.builderswa.com.au/builder/jaxon-pty-ltd/590 [Accessed 13 Aug. 2017]. Fulford, R. and Standing, C., 2014, Construction industry productivity and the potential for collaborative practice, International Journal of Project Management, 32(2), pp.315-326. Fulker, D., Timur, A., Dew, K. and Butler, J., 2016, A Case Study of the Grey Oaks Community and Club: Creation of a High-Performance Culture Through the Innovative Use of a Data-Driven Business Pla, International Journal of Hospitality Tourism Administration, 17(1), pp.72-99. Gao, S. and Low, S.P., 2014, The Last Planner System in China's construction industryA SWOT analysis on implementation, International Journal of Project Management,32(7), pp.1260-1272. Goulding, J.S., Pour Rahimian, F., Arif, M. and Sharp, M.D., 2015, New offsite production and business models in construction: priorities for the future research agenda, Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 11(3), pp.163-184. Jaxon Construction Inc. 2017, Jaxon Construction Inc, retrieved on 9th August 2017 from : https://www.jaxonconstruction.com/index.php/management. McKeever, M., 2016, How to write a business plan, Nolo. Santos, N. and Laczniak, G., 2015, Marketing to the poor: A SWOT analysis of the Market Construction Model for engaging impoverished market segments, Social Business, 5(2).

Western Civilization III Discussi Essays - Conn, Aggregat

Western Civilization III Discussion Section Fall 2013 016: 003: A11 and A12 University of Iowa Lecture: Penny Instructor: Conn Email: [emailprotected] [discussion] Email: [emailprotected] [lecture] Website: icon.uiowa.edu Office hours: TBD Office: 167 Schaeffer Hall Course Description: This course meets General Education Requirements for students without prior instruction in modern European history. It offers an overview of major trends in Europe since the mid-eighteenth century, focusing on social, political, cultural, and economic changes. Primarily we will discuss how a continent inhabited largely by peasants, artisans, and aristocrats became the democratic, post-industrial, technocratic world we know today. As we figure out how and why this happened, we will also examine how the history of modern Europe, and the "West" more broadly, is also a story of who gets to tell us about the past and how these voices have helped to carve out the present. Thus, our objective will be to understand history not only as a story of what happened but as an argument. This course is designed to help you think analytically about the past and present, to develop skills to identify and evaluate problems, and to move beyond simply repeating answers. In so doing, our discu ssions will foster your critical thinking with three important questions: how? why ? so what? Evaluation: Assignment Due Date Percentage of Final Grade First Essay 18/19? September 20% Midterm Exam 3 October 15 % Second Essay 6/7 November 20 % Discussion ongoing 20 % Final Exam Finals Week: TBD 25 % Course Policies: See Prof. Penny's syllabus. Required Reading: See Prof. Penny's Syllabus or his course ICON site. *There is also additional required reading on the main course ICON website. Reading Schedule: We will follow Prof. Penny's main course syllabus. Thus, we will discuss the 3 September lecture and reading assignments on 4 September ; the 5 September lecture and reading assignments on 9 September, etc. Any changes to this schedule will be posted to ICON. Reading Requirement: You are expected to have completed the assigned reading prior to attending discussion section. As by definition, a discussion section is primarily a conversation based on shared readings (and lecture), attendance without preparation is basically pointless. Your TA's take on course assignments (he grades all of your coursework). Exams : . In past semesters these have consisted of short answer questions (aka IDs) and longer essays that require students to synthesize material presented in class and draw on assigned readings in support of an argument. One week prior to each exam we will devote an entire class session to review. Regular participation in discussion section will facilitate success on exams. Essays: In order to help students develop their academic writing and critical thinking skills, they will submit two 4-5 page essays on topics to be assigned later this semester. All essays are expected to contain an introduction with a strong thesis statement (in the first paragraph), a clear and logical organizational structure with crisp topic sentences, paragraphs that sustain the essay's argument by properly citing sources, and a lucid conclusion. For matters of clarity and style consult Strunk and White's Elements of Style (free online): see link via ICON. Discussion: In addition to essay writing and test taking, you will also be asked to participate regularly in class discussion. Thus, attendance counts. Exam questions and paper topics are often derived directly from class discussion. Students are expected to arrive at class on time , and to be prepared to ask questions (not so much to me, but better yet, to your classmates) concerning the assigned readings. Students must complete all of the day's assigned readings prior to the beginning of class (and I suggest reading some of the documents more than once). Students who arrive late or have not completed the reading will be marked absent . Participation will be evaluated through various weekly assignments. You should expect to read 50-75 pages per week, and come to class prepared to discuss questions and interpretations. Keep in mind that some readings will be more difficult than others, some will be more interesting, and some will be more important. By definition, discussion sections are based on a conversation between students which is facilitated by the discussion leader (me). At

5 Errors in Noun-Verb Agreement

5 Errors in Noun-Verb Agreement 5 Errors in Noun-Verb Agreement 5 Errors in Noun-Verb Agreement By Mark Nichol As shown in the examples below, when writers craft sentences with more than one noun or pronoun in the subject, they sometimes misidentify the key noun or pronoun and assign the wrong verb form to it. Discussion and revision in each sentence describes and solves the problem. 1. â€Å"Five days are too short for a vacation.† The singular form of the verb â€Å"to be,† rather than the plural form, is appropriate here because of the context- the writer is referring to a collective unit of time consisting of five days, not to five units of time consisting of a day each: â€Å"Five days is too short for a vacation.† 2. Which of the following statements best describe your situation? The verb in this sentence refers not to statements but to one of several statements- represented by the pronoun which- each of which is, in turn, being contemplated on its own, so the verb form should be singular: â€Å"Which of the following statements best describes your situation?† 3. Each of the top five priorities identified this year are technology related.   Just as in the previous example, the first word in this sentence is a place-holder representing one priority. The five priorities are being considered in isolation, one at a time, so a singular verb is appropriate: â€Å"Each of the top five priorities identified this year is technology related.† 4. We believe that a diversity among people and perspectives create high-performing organizations. Diversity, not the combination of â€Å"people and perspectives,† is the operative noun here, so the verb form should be singular: â€Å"We believe that a diversity among people and perspectives creates high-performing organizations.† 5. A combination of these factors, along with a number of wider digital transformation and economic trends, have focused attention on regulatory technology as a topic. Combination, not factors, is the noun that the helping verb is associated with (and the parenthetical phrase located between factors and the verb is irrelevant to the verb form): â€Å"A combination of these factors, along with a number of wider digital transformation and economic trends, has focused attention on regulatory technology as a topic.† Some people may disagree, arguing that combination, like descriptive words such as couple, majority, and variety, calls for notional agreement (or notional concord), in which plural nouns that modifying phrases that include collective nouns are associated with, rather than the collective nouns themselves, are considered the â€Å"target† of the verb. However, usage strongly favors singular concord, in which the verb concords, or agrees, with the collective noun (the â€Å"notion†). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Idioms About TalkingDeck the HallsUses of the Past Participle

How to Write an Abstract for a Business Research Paper

How to Write an Abstract for a Business Research Paper How to Write an Abstract for a Business Research Paper An abstract for business research paper is a summary of the entire paper. Students doing business research papers often mistake abstracts to be the introductory paragraph since abstract appears at the beginning of the work. Business research papers are general audience papers that are likely to be read by any member of the society. The abstract is given much attention by the audience since it is a snapshot of the entire work. There are two types of abstract that can be developed in a business research paper: descriptive and informative abstracts. Students must decide which type of abstract to include in their business research papers though they accomplish the same goal. Descriptive abstracts are best suited for shorter business research papers while informative abstracts are for lengthy and technical research papers. Concisely, an abstract is supposed to explain the purpose of business research paper, its goals and methodology used for research. Results can be included in the abstract but they are only relevant if the paper if lengthy. In most cases, students use informative abstracts when they write their business research papers. Informative business research papers can be one page long. Students state the business problem or idea in the first sentence of abstract. This can be followed by a brief description stating why the idea is interesting or why the problem is worth consideration. Keen students always include reasons that motivate them to develop business research papers on the stated topic. It is important to state the scope of the paper in the abstract so that readers can understand the main target of the paper. The methodology sentence in a business research paper abstract gives an overview how the study was accomplished, how the researcher did his work and a brief description on the work of others who did business researches under the same topic. In an informative abstract, results must be discussed. Results are s imply the findings or the answers that the research sought to investigate. These are usually general findings, which support the hypothesis or the business idea under discussion. An abstract for business research papers should be able to summarize the whole business idea making the information understandable without necessarily reading the full report. A concise business abstract will be able to capture the reader’s imagination hence providing them with full and conclusive information should they otherwise decide not to read it in full. As the researcher, one must state the goals and objectives he or she intends to achieve. This is done by presenting a clear and critical outlining of the approach for achieving those goals i.e. the available research methodology and the thoroughness employed will help in capturing the reader’s confidence.

A Case for an Intergrated Criminal Court and Against an Independent Research Paper

A Case for an Intergrated Criminal Court and Against an Independent Juvenile Justice System - Research Paper Example They dispute that there are important differences between the development of adults and young individuals or that rehabilitation remains different from sentencing and persuade legislators to sustain the differences between offenders and antisocial or deviants. Some stress psychological insufficiency or physical helplessness. Others argue that juvenile courts safeguard young lawbreakers from further corrective criminal justice rules. Yet, there are those who argue that juvenile courts furnish the sole opportunity in which to take into account all the official and legal issues, such as abuse, neglect, felony, and dependency, which impinge on families and children (Corriero, 2006). Finally, advocates of an independent juvenile justice system call upon the contingency argument of Progressives (Feld, 1999): in spite of the procedural defects and evident impoverishment of juvenile courts, criminal courts represent more unpleasant locations to try and sentence juvenile delinquents. Juvenile courts try to integrate criminal social control and social welfare in a single organization and unavoidably perform both poorly due to the innate conflict in both functions. In contrast, a juvenile adaptation of an adult criminal justice system is a body devoid of any justification (Culbertson, 2000). Since there are already existing criminal courts, with no social welfare basis, a juvenile adaptation of an adult criminal justice system would only be unnecessary. The Arguments for an Independent Juvenile Court and Against an Integrated Criminal Court An independent juvenile justice system needs a more defined, refined justification than crude punishment versus rehabilitation arguments. In fact hardly any observable differences are present between these two functions. However, if it is recognized that juvenile courts penalize young delinquents, we then take the responsibility of granting them criminal procedural protections since â€Å"the condition of being a boy does not justify a kangaroo court† (Barkan & Bryjak, 2010, 520). It has been argued by the McKeiver Court that obliging procedural similarity with adults would terminate the juvenile court trial, yet took for granted the fact that refusing to do so reinforced bias and injustice (Feld, 1999). To perceive and deal with equally positioned criminals differently, to sentence young offenders for the sake of rehabilitation, and to strip them of essential protections cultivate a kind of injustice that frustrates any attempts towards reform. The present juvenile court does not offer justice or rehabilitation and cannot be reformed. The other policy alternatives are to pattern juvenile courts to the adult criminal justice system or vice versa (Roberts, 2004). Regardless if young delinquents are tried in an integrated criminal court or in an independent court, we should reevaluate fundamental principles and deal with procedural and substantive matters. Substantive justice issues comprise forming and exec uting a doctrinal basis, such as shortened temper, psychological immaturity, weak disposition, or reduced conscience, to sentence juvenile delinquents dissimilarly, and more mildly, than adult criminals or suspects (Myers, 2005). Procedural justice

GDP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

GDP - Essay Example According to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis that is tasked with the duty of breaking down the worth earned by the goods and services, the rise in real GDP can partly be attributed to the fact that Federal Government spending reduced. The decline in the residential fixed investment together with reduction in spending in both the state and the local governments is another reason the positive trend in real GDP was registered. According to input from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, the third quarter experienced the most significant growth, translating to a whopping 4.1%. On the other hand, the fourth quarter seemed to have experienced the least form of growth, which translated to 2.4% (Mataloni). With my prediction for real GDP this year being 3.1%, I presume true the idea that the future is uncertain for US economy at large. I say so because this year is likely to witness increased output, which translates to rise in both imports and exports. When the output is increased, business shall no doubt spur, and this shall prompt most of the employers to bring on board additional employees. The hiring of more employees will mean that the rate of unemployment shall decline. In like manner, the participation of labor too is likely to increase following increased output. Another reason real GDP is likely to increase this year is the fact that the personal consumption expenditure is also likely to increase precisely by two cents, and this shall translate to reduced inflation. The unexpected move by the Federal Reserve Bank to keep the short-term interests is also likely to prove beneficial in the end as it will contribute to positive trends in real GDP. In the course of this year, I also expect the Federal Government to cut costs thereby lowering its spending further (Avakov 43). Just as they did last year, the state and local governments alike are also expected to cut their costs hence lowering their budgets further. Just

The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution Essay Example for Free

The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution Essay Question: From 1781 to 1789 the Articles of Confederation provided the Unites States with an effective government. Use the documents and your knowledge of the period to evaluate this statement. Although the Articles of Confederation provided a working government for the United States, it was not necessarily an effectively working government; an effective government would be one that not only establishes control and authority, but one under which the nation flourishes. Certainly the Articles set down a basic government with the idea of a democratic republic. However, the Articles of Confederation didnt impose an effective government as much as it set the basis for one. It was unable to enforce many laws and many of those set were also unequal in operation, as unfair to some states as fair to others. Thus, from 1781 to 1789, the Articles of Confederation established a working, yet ineffective government, with very little control or authority over foreign relations, the economy, and western lands. In foreign relations, the government set down by the Articles of Confederation had minimal, if any, control and authority over diplomatic efforts with Spain, France, Britain, and the foreign presences in America. One contributing factor to this was the lack of an executive branch. Congress was the chief coordinating agency of any war efforts and almost every action of meaning. During a disagreement over foreign policy, the argument could possibly have lasted for weeks with no decision or compromise set, leaving the problem standing unresolved. What authority Congress did have over commerce was shown in some unfair tariffs on foreign trade, that consequentially affected foreign relations. There was a marked decline in the estimated market of United States exports to Great Britain; in those, there was a definite per capita drop [Document B]. There was much difficulty with diplomatic efforts with other countries. For example, while negotiating a treaty with Spain that could have given America access to the Mississippi River, the Southern states refused to go along, with the result of the treaty negotiations and the Mississippi had to be given up [Document F]. In America itself, Congress was unable to enforce the Treaty of Paris. There were British troops still occupying some parts of America [Document D]. Since Congress could not directly assemble an army, there was no way to deal  with the problem and the existing American troops were discontent with the governments failure to pay their wages [Document C]. Considering the state of foreign relations under the Articles of Confederation, the Louisiana Purchase wouldnt have been possible. The negotiations for the territory would have failed and Congress would have argued over the purchase of land long after the offer would have been voided. The difficulties in foreign relations were too much for the government set by the Articles of Confederat ion to be considered effective. The economy, like foreign relations, worked virtually in complete independence from Congress and the Articles of the Confederation. Congress had little authority over and abilities of directly taxing the people and regulating commerce. Being the central institution of national authority Congress needed the power to control factors that influence the economy which they didnt. The foreign relations of America affected the foreign trade of America. The foreign relations were in a dystopian. As a result, the foreign trade of America was in as sorry a state of affairs. There was a marked decline in the estimated market of United States exports to Great Britain and in those that did exist was a definite per capita drop [Document B]. When Congress did have the authority to impose a tariff, it was often unequal in operation and unfair to some states while favoring others [Document A]. The government set by the Articles of the Confederation experienced many difficulties with control and authority over an economy that did not prosper under the Articles. The western lands of the Articles United States were under very little American control. First of all, Although the western lands were turned over to the national government and then sold, they werent well controlled. Many of these lands were already predominantly inhabited by Native Americans. Congress lacked the ability to directly assemble an army, yet a fighting force was almost necessary to opposing the British still in America after the Treaty of Paris. An army would also have quelled raiding and rebelling Indians in the West, and also raiding from over the border of Spanish Florida. In negotiations over the western border of the US, there was much arguing among Congress between northern and southern state representatives  [Document F]. While negotiating a treaty with Spain that could have given America access to the Mississippi River, the Southern states refused to go along, so the treaty negotiations and the Mississippi had to be given up. The Articles of Confederation didnt establish an effective government; they not only established little control, but the nation didnt flourish. The failure of this government is perceptible in the state of foreign relations, the economy, and western lands from 1781 to 1789. The clear failure can also be seen in the call for revision of the Articles [Documents G, H]. Things were going wrong and they needed to change. Although the call was originally just for revision, it resulted in a new document, the Constitution. Although the Articles set down a basic government with the idea of a democratic republic, thats all it had: the idea. The basis set for an effective democratic republic was embellished and made to succeed in the Constitution. This demonstrated that the Articles government wasnt completely flawed, but it certainly wasnt effective.

Euthanasia is Morally Wrong :: Against Euthanasia

The matter of euthanasia continues to be a contentious issue within today’s society. Over the past years, there have been a slew of debates that have tried to justify the practice of assisted suicide, otherwise known as euthanasia. Gallup’s survey in 2007 served to illustrate this fact by showing that over 75 percent of Americans believe that euthanasia should be permitted. However, what Americans have failed to discern is that legalizing any form of euthanasia goes against the sanctity of life and will result in no limitations to the justifications of why it is being performed. It seems as if society has become so debauched that the American people honestly feel that they can condone ending the life of a precious individual. Perhaps in order for one to construct a fitting viewpoint on euthanasia, one must be knowledgeable on the philology and background of euthanasia, along with having a clear comprehension of some underlying terms. Euthanasia is a term which â€Å"derived from the Greek word â€Å"euthanatos†, meaning simply a good death† (Perri, 1996). This word is extremely vulnerable to the various interpretations of all people; therefore, many people fall short when it comes to understanding the two distinct types of euthanasia. These two unique types are known as active and passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia is described as being â€Å"the deliberate ending of a person’s life with the intent of reducing that person’s suffering† (Perri, 1996). For instance, active euthanasia can be as simple as injecting a patient with a harmful toxin. On the other hand passive euthanasia is typically defined as the â€Å"withdrawing of medical treatment with the intention of causing the patient's death† ("Types of euthanasia," 2001). Now an example of passive euthanasia is simply when a patient is perishing and the doctor choices not to recover them. Now it is imperative that one recognizes the distinction between active and passive euthanasia. Another aspect in which euthanasia can be classified is as involuntary or voluntary. Involuntary euthanasia â€Å"is when a patient’s life is ended without the patient’s knowledge and consent† ("Types of euthanasia," 2001). A perceptible example of involuntary euthanasia is when a patient is in a coma and does not have the capability to decide what should happen to him. Lastly, the subject of voluntary euthanasia is â€Å"the patient requests that an action be taken to end his life, or that life-saving treatment be stopped, with full knowledge that this will lead to his death† ("Types of euthanasia," 2001).

The Vanity Of An Ape In A Thin Slice Of Cosmic Time

By Chris Burrows Born in the hot summer of 87 to an accountant and nurse with an absurd pretence to create a pleasant and respectable appearance, I lived, as would be expected, a traditional middle-class, white childhood. By the age of sixteen, more formally known as the age of reason, I had established an anti-religious, political and cultural identity incompatible with that of my parents, thus consequentially aborted from the home unit and forced upon the streets.In and out of punk rock bands, failing relationships, etty crime and substance addiction, early adulthood founded for what was to become a blind yet fruitful Journey of promiscuity, artistic proficiency and self development. This continues to be, for the most part, a euphoric experience. Soon enough, an informal, yet nevertheless rigorous study of physics, astronomy and cognitive science lead to the inevitable realisation that this universe, however beautiful and complex, exists without purpose and our lives within it, as important and eventful as they may seem, are ultimately meaningless.Particularly, that skyscrapers, governments and police forces are merely the result of thirteen billion ears of sequential chemical reactions externally determined by their surroundings, and any purpose or meaning a human may experience within their life is purely a product of their own mind.Torn between suicidal tendencies to the left, and the vacant monotony of modern life to the right, I kept driving straight ahead, crashing full speed into the destined and only middle ground, escapism. Finally, distraction and relief from all the unpleasant realities of life had been found, secluded in a timber cabin deep within the woods, and it is there too, where you may find this lonely boy, and his dog.

A Night at the Opera

A Night at the Opera Analysis Paper A Night at the Opera is a 1935 American comedy film starring the Marx brothers. Groucho Marx, Chico Marx and Harpo Marx. The Marx brothers influence on comedy can still be seen in todays films. There is very few comedians that have ever had as long a lasting influence or been as well-known as they are. It is absolutely astonishing that after over seventy years, it still portrays the same amount of enjoyment and laughter in â€Å"modern† viewers as it did when the film was first distributed.The language of their comedy has not dulled over time, aspects of Marx brother humor can be found throughout sit-coms, movies, comedic acts and especially cartoons. I have been a huge fan of the show called I Love Lucy since I was about 7 years old, but I never knew that the Marx brothers had such an influence on the show and that they based a lot of there comedy scenes from the Marx brothers, and Harpo had actually starred in one of their episodes as well . In the film A Night at the Opera they have a singer names Ricardo Baroni, and in the set of I Love Lucy her husbans name is Ricky Ricardo.I feel as if since A Night at the Opera played such a big influence on their show that maybe they were trying to place that name in there as some type of contribute to them and their film. I also have seen many scenes in the cartoon Tom and Jerry that tie in together from the Marx brothers. This is just proof that from Groucho's wisecracking word play, Chico conning every person he can when he has the chance, to the way Harpo's doesn't speak and frankly comes off really dumb founded. There sense of humor is timeless and forever will be a true classic.

Cortes and the Burning of the Boats at Vera Cruz essays

Cortes and the Burning of the Boats at Vera Cruz essays In 1519, Capitan Hernando Cortes and a small army left the Spanish-held island of Cuba and set out on one of the greatest conquests in the history of the world. Cortes was going to accomplish his goals no matter the consequences. He put to death some of those who opposed him, got himself appointed Capitan-General in order to get out from under Diego Velazquezs authority, and even destroyed his fleet in an attempt to motivate his men to adapt to his at-all-costs attitude. The destruction of the ships has been widely studied and is still debated today. The dispute is not if he destroyed his ships, but how and to what extent. Many sources claim that Cortes had the ships destroyed secretly. Very few state that Cortes told his men of his intent; but Bernal Diaz tells that Cortes was advised by his men to destroy his ships. (Diaz, 131) Diaz states, . . . we who were his friends advised him . . . not to leave a single ship in port, but to destroy them all immediately, in order to leave no cause of trouble behind. (Diaz, 130) Diaz goes on to say, The ships were destroyed with our full knowledge and not . . . in secret. (Diaz, 131) Salvador De Madariaga suggests that Cortes planted some friends to advise him to destroy his fleet; thus, at least some of the soldiers knew of the plan. (Madariaga, 156) He also says that Cortes was in Cempoal at the time for clemency. (Madariaga, 155) Jacob Abbott wrote that most of the soldiers were in Zempoalla and suggests that Cortez acted without them knowing. (Abbott, 126) John Manchip White states, This drastic action was performed secretly. (White, 185) Francisco L opez de Gomara said that Cortes begged the sailing masters to spread a story about the ships being decayed and no longer seaworthy. He also alleges, . . . that his companions might prevent it, as the doubtless would have done if the realized what he had in mind. (Gomar...

Using a Mind Map for Reading Comprehension

Using a Mind Map for Reading Comprehension The use of Mind Maps in class is useful when working on all sorts of skills. For example,  students can use a Mind Map to quickly jot down the gist of an article they have read. Another great exercise is using Mind Maps to learn  vocabulary. Mind Maps provide a visual learning mechanism that will help students recognize relationships they may miss in a more linear type of activity. The act of mapping something out encourages the individual to create an internal retelling of the story. This type of approach will help students with essay writing skills, as well as better overall reading comprehension due to the 30,000 foot overview they will get.   For this example lesson, weve provided a number of variations on the use of Mind Maps for exercises. The lesson itself could easily be extended into homework activities and over multiple classes depending on how much of the artistic element you encourage students to provide.  For this lesson, we created a simple map as an example for an upper-level reading course using the novel Dont You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey by  Margaret Peterson Haddix.   Mind Map Lesson Plan Aim:  Reading review and comprehension of extensive reading materials Activity:  Creating a Mind Map asking students to create an overview of a story Level:  Intermediate to advanced Outline: Introduce the concept of a Mind Map by showing students Mind Maps posted online. Just go to Google and search on Mind Map youll find plenty of examples.Ask students what type of things would lend themselves to Mind Mapping. Hopefully, students will come up with all sorts of creative uses. If not, we suggest pointing to simple examples such as vocabulary about the home or job responsibilities.  As a class, create a Mind Map of the story you are currently working on.Start with the main character. Ask students to identify the main areas of that characters life. In this case the class chose  family, friends, work  and  school.Ask students about the particulars of each category. Who are the people? What events happen? Where does the story take place?  Once youve provided the basic outline, ask students to either draw the map on a piece of paper, or use Mind Mapping software (we recommend Free Mind, an open source program).Ask students to fill in the Mind Map noting the relations hips, main events, difficulties, etc., for each of the categories.   How deep you ask students to go into the story depends on what is being reviewed. For analysis, its probably best to keep things relatively simple. However, if you use this to review a chapter, individual character might run much deeper.At this point in the exercise, you can ask students to review the reading in a variety of ways. Here are some suggestions:Use the map to discuss the relationships between the characters, places, etc., to partners. Each student can choose one arm of the map to discuss at length.Use the map as a written activity by asking students to write an accompanying explanatory text to the map.Ask students to really dig into the details by mapping out  one or two arms of the map.Be artistic and provide sketches for their mind map.Speculate on the backgrounds of the relationships represented using modal verbs of probability.Focus in on grammar functions such as tenses by posing questions about the relationships in a variety of tenses.  Have students compare and contrast the maps they create.

Certification and accreditation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Certification and accreditation - Research Paper Example However, the information system must meet the approved safeguards or protection in the two domains i.e. technical and managerial. The duration of a typical certification and accreditation process should be executed in sixteen to eighteen months. However the duration will vary due to the complexity level of the networked environment. (Stark, 1994) The dissimilarity between a Certified and an information system auditor is a compliment of both these roles. The certifier will review the systems for compliance with the stated requirements from the regulations, law or the board (Langsley & American Board of, 1983). In contrast, the auditor will validate the results submitted by the certifier for meeting the requirements. However, it is not necessary that an auditor may be a part of the same organization (Stark, 1994). Likewise, information system auditor is responsible for carrying out an independent review or audit of examination of records and activities for accessing the appropriateness of system controls for assuring compliance with policies and procedures. Similarly, a certifier is associated with conducting technical decisions of complying systems with organizational requirements, conducting risk assessment focused on system operation, certification actions and combining or integrating the finalized certification along with accredited packages. The post of this individual is known as Information System Security Manager. Furthermore, the contribution of a reviewer is associated with internal organizational role that falls under the role of a certifier (Stark, 1994). The phase 5 of the Certification and Accreditation process called as Disposal is not addressed. For instance, there is always a disposal phase of any process, system, applications etc. likewise, the process of system disposal, few factors need consideration. These factors are mentioned below: Disposal of Storage devices: if an

Roles of women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Roles of women - Essay Example ed to hold executive posts in big companies but these days we have women CEOs and MDs heading several organizations and doing considerably well, this goes to show a lot about how times have changed. Women were considered the weaker sex in the past and there are still areas where women are suppressed and denied what they truly deserve. Women have made significant progress in the past and they continue to prove several people wrong. They are no longer behind the four walls of the house, they have started accepting administrative roles and their performance has surprised many a people. â€Å"After decades long battle for basic survival rights, women have broken free of their shackles universally and have unleashed the female power, a power that has changed the world. The 21st century has been a witness to the rise of women power.† (Women on Top) The progress that women have made has been significant and their progress is not restricted to one field alone, they have managed to make significant progress in more fields than one and this has also knocked the stuffing out of people who thought that women were incapable of making progress in their lives. Women have greater control over household matters now but it was much different earlier, they are no longer subjected to abuse and they are no longer ignored as they once were in the past. There were as many as 6700 women working as engineers in the year 1950, a great transition took place during 1940 to 1950. As mentioned earlier this decade was a very promising decade for the women and they grabbed this opportunity by the scruff of its neck. However this progress did not continue as expected, the rate of participation declined in the next decade. The problems for women kept mounting, the jobs in their area was hard to find. Their expertise was not valued and they were left unemployed. 91% of men worked as full time engineers whereas women were 20% less likely of getting a job in their area of expertise. This was again

Tourism strategy for Glasgow Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Tourism strategy for Glasgow - Assignment Example The research paper â€Å"title† highlights tourism strategy for Glasgow that is guided by its vision statement, which states that their shared ambition for metropolitan Glasgow is of sustained and sustainable growth in the tourism industry as a contribution to the wealth and well-being of all. In addition, the vision for Glasgow 2016 action plan is of leading destination in key markets offering a unique, dynamic, and authentic experience through the quality of place, product, and service differentiated through the strength of the brand, Glasgow: Scotland with style. Glasgow 2016 action plan takes advantage of the city’s growth, favorable national policy environment, and higher level of ambitions and desire for Glasgow’s future prosperity and well-being. This clearly indicates that the strategy for Glasgow tourism is closely linked to the national and city policy document. The Glasgow outcomes and to ensure it meets its 2016 vision, there are certain elements that highlighted in its vision that shows its intention of ensuring economic growth of Scotland. Due to this, the tourism sector takes a major role in protecting the environment and working closely with communities for mutual benefits (Tribe 2010 p. 5). For successful strategic planning, there are several key elements of corporate strategy, which if well implemented, leads to success. These elements include; i. Strategic analysis ii. Strategic purpose iii. Strategic choice iv. Strategic implementation Strategic purpose for tourism Glasgow is defined in its mission which states what the organization aims to achieve in the specified period. In the case of Scotland tourism 2016 action plan, the mission is that by 2016, tourism is seen as the major contributor to economic growth of Scotland. in this regard, the key contributor to Scotland tourism include Glasgow leading attractions, Tourism retail and leisure group, Greater Glasgow hotels association, Glasgow restaurateurs association, Scotland tourism and ministry of tourism. Strategic analysis incorporates consideration of influences upon Scotland tourism in terms of operating environment and resources available in order to attain its objectives by 2016. Strategic analysis is concerned in dealing with major strengths and weaknesses within internal resources and threats and opportunities posed by external environment in which the organization operates (Tribe 2010 p.10). In this sense, Scotland tourism identifies some threats in its external environment. These threats include; i. The use of IT by customers ii. The impact of travel on climate change iii. Competitive natur e of tourism destination iv. Increase in fuel prices The major strength include i. Brand name ii. culture iii. partnership and joint working iv. international gateway v. city centre retail offer vi. architecture vii. conference facilities and viii. access to highlands Major opportunities for Scotland tourism include; i. Continued brand development ii. Increase in short break travel iii. , New hotel development iv. Experiential services v. Collaboration with Edinburgh and other, surrounding destinations vi. Developing service excellence vii. Attracting large scale events viii. Innovative new products and packaging ix. Waterfront regeneration x. Differentiation through unique selling points xi. Employment-rich sector xii. Green issues Major weakness includes; i. Signage ii. gaps in transport infrastructure iii. packaging of experience iv. cleanliness v. Image of sector for employment Strategic choice is more concerned with selection strategy, evaluation of available options and genera tion of strategic options. The strategic option favored by Scotland tourism 2016 action plan has moved from mass tourism where they initially concentrated on price to major emphasis on quality or differentiated tourism where consumer or visitor and host experience is emphasized. The Glasgow: Scotland with style

The Concept of Satisfaction in Higher Education

The Concept of Satisfaction in Higher Education Introduction and frame of the study This literature review aims at investigating the importance of satisfaction of the students in higher education form a marketing point of view. As such, we understand the meaning of words, expression, and concepts we only have a limited relation to Operational field of study (that would understand HEIs as a Business entity). The study will be constructed as follow, we shall first understand the definition of satisfaction within the boundaries of the subject earlier mentioned before investing its particular meaning for students and its place and importance in Service Quality. We would like to warn the reader that we have a limitation in term of references. To overcome this later one, we chose to focus on fairly recent articles. Our aim is certainly not to diminish the utter significance of early literature but they will be often quoted here as part of our chosen references. While sourcing for articles, we noticed that service quality is an avant-gardiste and ever growing field of study that branchs out worldwile to every industries, Education makes no exeption. The assumption we made from the coursework statement is that we certainely will be assessed on both the core chosen subject and our technical skills for conducting a literature review. Therefore, we shall try our best and limit our volume of reference without compromising the integrity of the subject. The concept of Satisfaction The concept of satisfaction plays a key role in any marketing strategy (Churchill and Suprenant, 1982), and it is even considered the king of marketing research (Oliver, 1999). Creating a sustainable advantage in todays competitive market depends, to a large extent, on the ability to deliver high-quality service that translates into satisfied customers (Shemwell, Yavas and Bilgin, 1998). Customer satisfaction is a central concept in marketing research (Luo and Homburg, 2007). In fact, Machleit and Mantel (2000) consider satisfaction as the core of all marketing activities. In the beginning, research in the area of customer satisfaction focused only on end consumers. It was therefore commonly referred to as consumer satisfaction (Bearden and Teel 1983, Cadotte et al., 1987, Anderson, 1993). Customer satisfaction is the result of experiencing a service and comparing that experience with the expected service quality (Oliver, 1980), in relation to both intangible and tangible goods; it can be defined on two different levels: as a simple transaction, or as the overall accumulation of the relationship (Jones and Suh, 2000). While there is some academic agreement that the process of contradiction is a precedent of satisfaction, empirical support for this relationship has not been complete (Yi, 1990). There is a wide discussion as to whether it is expectations that directly affect satisfaction, or whether its main antecedent is perceived quality (Churchill and Surprenant, 1982, Bahia et al., 2000). Hereby, the evaluation of client satisfaction (Bahia et al., 2000) can provide a more realistic and dynamic representation of the clients satisfaction (Bahia et al., 2000). Various definitions of satisfaction have been established within the scope of service marketing. Oliver (1980) defines this as a finite-duration experience that relates directly to the experience of a product or service, serving to maintain or improve the previous attitude that the client had about the product or service in question. Kotler (1999, 2000) considers it as the mood of a person that results from comparing the perceived performance of a product or service with their initial expectations, having a close relationship with the perceived value. This global customer satisfaction is an important indicator of the perceived past, present and future results of a company or any other entity offering products or services (Anderson, Fornell and Lehmann, 1994). Mano and Oliver (1993) define satisfaction as a hedonistic evaluative attitude or judgment centered on the product, and that it could be evaluated after consumption. Fornell (1992) defines satisfaction as a general assessment, based on the evaluation of the perceived product after the purchase, which has to be compared with the expectations before the purchase. On the other hand, Halstead et al. (1994) consider that satisfaction is an affective response, in the centre of which is the comparison of the result of the product before the purchase, and during or after its consumption. Rust and Oliver (1994) suggest that the level of satisfaction reflects the degree to which a consumer believes that the possession or use of a service generates positive feelings. As noted by Chang et al. (2009), when satisfaction is considered as an emotional response, it is defined as satisfaction of transaction, whereas when the service depends on many factors, in which repeated transactions occur, satisfaction is given as a cumulative result, or overall satisfaction (Shankar et al., 2003). To a great extent, this view of repeated transactions corresponds to the service provided by universities, since it depends on many factors over a long period of time. In addition, students do not have the opportunity to easily switch providers, causing opportune dissatisfaction. Various researchers have defined satisfaction as a positive orthe net value of services received from a provider (Schmidt and Allscheid, 1995; Woodruff, 1997; Douglas et al., 2004). The table below shows a selection of definitions about this concept. Therefore, the concept of customer satisfaction has been extensively debated in the literature, and numerous definitions have been proposed without a consensus being reached. After having thoroughly examined the main definitions that have been proposed, Giese and Cote (2000) identify three basic distinctive components that make up satisfaction: 1. The type of response, (i.e. whether it is a cognitive, affective or conative), as well as the intensity of the response. 2. The focus or object of this response, which may be based on an evaluation of the rules related to the product, the experiences of consumption of the product, or the attributes related to the purchase, such as, for example, the sales staff. 3. The time or moment at which the evaluation is performed, which can be expressed before or after making the choice, after consumption, after accumulated experiences, or at any other time. In this study, for example, the evaluation is performed after the consumption of the service and gathers experiences accumulated from the perspective of the graduate. Achieving consumer or customer satisfaction is one of the main goals for greater competitiveness (Seymour, 1993). Knowing the satisfaction of different audiences gives rise to different benefits (Anderson, 1993): For clients this means that organizations understand the variables that improve the satisfaction of the public, which leads to improvements in products and services and improvements in life standards; For companies this means improvement of the customer portfolio (forecast for the future), improvements in the distribution of resources, competitive information; For countries this means an increase in competitiveness within national strategies, improvements in state economies, aid for decision making in the businesses (national and foreign), and a better understanding of the differences between countries. Understanding of satisfaction with the organizations gives rise to synergies that, generally, tend to favor the competitiveness of a country. Satisfaction for university students A university, as a public institution, should try to create a positive image for its different audiences. It must know each one of them deeply to satisfy them adequately and to know what all those variables that influence a positive assessment of the university are. In the case of students, it is important to analyze all those variables that influence both: their university experience, as well as their pre- and post-experiences. Therefore, universities progressively create, maintain and consolidate relationships with their different audiences, especially with their students (Hasan, Ilias, Rahman and Razak, 2008). It is only with the satisfied students that the success and permanence of the students, and, above all, the formation of a positive word of mouth can be achieved in the institution (Alves and Raposo, 2004). In the context of higher education, Elliot and Healy (2001) affirm that student satisfaction is a short-term attitude derived from the evaluation of their educational experience. On the other hand, Elliott and Shin (2002) define student satisfaction as the subjective evaluation of the different students outcomes (employment, social, etc.) as well as of their experiences of education and life on campus and their initial expectations. The reasons that motivated students to decide on their career and on the university play a fundamental role in such expectations (Elliot and Shin, 2002). A university students satisfaction is a multidimensional concept that depends on students own implication and goals, as well as on the quality and service provided by the university (Hartman and Schmidt, 1995). As a rule, student satisfaction was assessed throughout the literature with the help of questionnaires that evaluate the quality of teaching and the content of subjects or specific services, such as libraries. But a lesser degree of questionnaires are sent to students after finishing the university stage, so that they can evaluate the institution. In addition, it is important to analyse the psychological and pre-university aspects that influence the academic evolution of the student. Students participating in the learning process are the main stakeholders of the university, and therefore, the focus on student satisfaction goes hand in hand with the development of a culture of continuous improvement of the university (Harvey, 1995). Biggs (2003) reviews the studies that have addressed university satisfaction, concluding that achieving high student satisfaction allows for different benefits to be obtained in the learning process: Teachers show higher productivity and enthusiasm when the appreciation of their services is evaluated; In the case of higher education, an institution is more willing to adopt changes; for example, to assume new teaching / learning styles; It is assumed that students performs their university studies and have fun at the same time; Students perception and experience are evaluated so that the university is aware of the aspects to be improved based on the students opinion. There have been numerous researches, who focused on the concept of university satisfaction, via studying which components or determinants make up such satisfaction (Aitken, 1982; Bean Bradley, 1986; Pike, 1991; Hartman Schmidt, 1995; Webb Jagun, 1997; Browne et al., 1998; Aldridge Rowley, 1998; Browne et al., 1999; Elliot Healy, 2001; Wiers-Jenssen, Stensaker Grogaard, 2002; Elliot Shin, 2002; DeShields, Kara Kaynak, 2005; Marzo et al., 2005; Arambewela Hall, 2006; Alves Raposo, 2007; Nasser, Khoury Abouchedid, 2008; Husain et al., 2009; Alves Raposo, 2010; Pike Larkin, 2010; Duque Weeks, 2010; Kheiry et al., 2012; Duarte, Alves Raposo, 2012; Moosmayer Siems, 2012; Blà ¡zquez et al., 2013). Table 3.11 lists papers whose main objective is to analyze the components and processes of satisfaction in the context of higher education. The performed work has measured the satisfaction of current students, that is, during their university experience. Among these studies, Aitken (1982) established that satisfaction depended on academic factors and accommodation services, whereas financial and personal factors, and involvement determined student retention. Later, Bean and Bradley (1986) concluded that the academic results do not affect the perception of the quality of aspects such as the service received or the physical aspects and satisfaction. More recently, Elliot and Healy (2001) concluded that attributes related to the environment, learning and student welfare are the main sources of satisfaction. Wiers-Jenssen et al. (2002) determined that university environment, as well as infrastructures and quality of service (as a specific dimension) are the main factors. While Husain et al. (2009) evidenced empirically that the sources of greatest satisfaction are the physical environment, interaction and received support, feedback, evaluation, and management. Finally, within the factors considered, Blà ¡zquez et al. (2013) concluded that sports activities and international programs are the social aspects that have the greatest impact on student satisfaction. In their study they included aspects related to facilities and resources (libraries, leisure resources, etc.), academic factors (teaching, workload, etc.) and social aspects (sports, housing, environment, etc.). Thereby, most of the authors have examined the satisfaction from the perspective of the current students, that is to say, that they were at the moment of carrying out their studies. Therefore, they have not been based on the recommendations of Westbrook and Oliver (1991) and Mano and Oliver (1993) who affirm that satisfaction is a state that must be evaluated after product consumption or service experience. However, Hartman and Schmidt (1995) took the perspective of the graduate (hence, after consumption) concluding that satisfaction depends largely on whether academic and work expectations have been met in addition to a favorable assessment of the services received during the experience. In this regard, the work of Duarte et al. (2012) compared the satisfaction of 150 students at two stages: halfway through their university career and after completing their studies. The results indicated that satisfaction is maintained at similar levels both when studying and at the end of the course; in fact, certain aspects, such as quality, were valued more once the graduates had had work experience. This contrasts with the results of Pike and Larkin (2010), and although they did not measure satisfaction by means of the graduate, they compared the evaluation of postgraduate students satisfaction at the beginning, middle and end of their course, revealing that satisfaction was greater during the initial stage of their studies, followed by higher levels of dissatisfaction later because their expectations have not been met. Nasser et al. (2008) reached the same conclusion, where he determined that the newcomers in the institution are those that present a higher degree of satisfaction . Apart from these studies, it is also worth mentioning the studies of graduates in Spain where they measure the satisfaction of the graduates with respect to the training and the service received that were analyzed in chapter 1 (for example, the UGR). With respect to other researchers, only Webb and Jagun (1997) took into account the employees of the university, and Browne et al. (1999) analyzed parental satisfaction compared to that of their own children, concluding that there is practically no difference in satisfaction among them, although it is slightly higher among the parents. Another aspect resulting from the observation of the table is that satisfaction has been a subject of research in many different countries, but the research done in the United States has been put in the forefront (Aitken, 1982; Bean and Bradley, 1986; Pike, 1991; Schmidt 1995, Browne et al., 1998, Browne et al., 1999, Elliot and Healy, 2001, Elliot and Shin, 2002, DeShields, Kara and Kaynak, 2005); there the majority of studies have focused on understanding the satisfaction attributes and development of a methodology or definition of a special measure for the university sector. Taking into account the Spanish context, Marzo et al. (2005) analyzed the influence of teaching components as factors of satisfaction. More recently, Blà ¡zquez et al. (2013) considered a greater number of aspects of university quality such as offered services or visual elements. It is noteworthy that in the study carried out by Duque and Weeks (2010) among both Spanish and American students, it was concluded that the implication is relevant in mediating the positive or negative assessment of the university service. Mention that studies have emphasized the importance of the relationship between quality and satisfaction (as was already possible in the section on quality) and will be analyzed later. Academic achievement has also been the subject of study as the basis for satisfaction with intellectual expectations (Bean and Bradley, 1986; Pike, 1991). Finally, taking into account the methodologies used to measure satisfaction, statistical techniques of regression analysis and structural equations stand out. Qualitative methods have been used to a lesser extent in relation to other variables such as image or quality, with certain exceptions (Webb and Jagun, 1997; Aldridge and Rowley, 1998).

Insider Trading Essay -- Business, Investment, Trading

It can fairly be said that an Investor considering an investment decision (whether to purchase, sell or hold stock) in publicly traded company acts on the basis of extensive information which is available by corporation to him until the last moment of his investing decision and try to determine the fair price of corporate stock. In the light of continuous creation of a particular impression of corporate affairs by the corporation, new information by corporate can vanish the importance of previous available information to investor. In the scenario only one kind of investors can get advantage over others, who is either very close to corporate operation (corporate officers) or can access nonpublic price-sensitive information to corporation (large shareholder). These investors are known as insider. To ensure fair platform of trading to all investor, the law of insider trading is one of the vehicles which is used by society to allocate the property right to information generated by firm and it can be ensured that by virtue of being insider, director or company’s officer cannot explore private information in trading of his or her company’s stock but many studies (e.g., Jaffe, 1974; Finnerty, 1976a,b; Seyhun, 1986, 1988a,b; Rozeff and Zaman, 1988; Lin and Howe, 1990) conclude that Insiders like to buy (sell) their own company stock before price-favorable (unfavorable) information disseminates in public and take the advantage of nonpublic information. For example, Jaffe (1974a) find the insiders are able to make abnormal return by taking position in their own stock but insiders’ short-term prediction power is greater than long-term predication. Several aspects of insider trading activity are debatable. Like is insider trading is... ...ces in compensation package to their executives between two groups. Graver and Graver (1995) find that intangible assets of a firm are important factor to determine the executives’ compensation and a large portion of their compensation derives from long term incentive compensation like stock option grants. When executive receivers a large portion of compensation in stocks, then his investment portfolio is subject to more idiosyncratic risk than any diversity investment portfolio or to survive, for example to pay home rent, he needs liquidity, which in turn, either to achieve diversify investment portfolio or to achieve liquidity, he sells his a part of his stake in open market even his stock in undervalued (Meulbroek, 2000). We assume that insiders selling of intangible assets’ firms are less likely to convey information to public than tangible assists’ firms.

Death of a Parent Essay

I believe we are defined by events that happen throughout our lives both passivity and negatively. Most of the events that change people’s paths often happen suddenly in their life and sometimes have long term effects. Whether it is a personal, religious, life style, or even a career change the fact still remains the cause for change was caused by the event. The statements above are true for my life; my life was about to change forever. This is the day I found out my mother had only six months to live, I was only 19 years old. I was picking my mother up from a routine follow-up appointment she had at Keesler Air force Base Hospital in Biloxi Mississippi, on the afternoon of 3 March 1997. I was walking up the steps of the hospital when I saw her walking out her face was pale I asked her if she was ok, her response was no. At this point in time everything went silent she asked me to sit down on the steps but I couldn’t I just wanted to know what was wrong. My mother while holding my hands then told me the results of the test and that she had liver cancer and it was untreatable. I was frozen not knowing what to say I just grab her and held her close and begun to cry. She told me to stop crying because she was going to need me to be strong for her and my brothers, that she wanted her last six months to be happy memories not sad ones. Let’s step back for a moment so I can explain the relationship I had with my mother because it was not your normal one. My mother was so much more to me than just a mom, she was my best friend I told her everything and she told me everything. We spent many late nights talking about everything in life from how our day went to what life would hold for us in the future. My mother was one of those people who never wanted or asked for anything for herself but was one who gave everything and would do anything for her children. When I say her children I don’t just mean her biological ones, she took care and provide for so many more, whether it was local neighbor hood, friends, family, co-workers and sometime even complete strangers who just need help. I remember many nights sitting at the kitchen table with people eating dinner with us who I did not know and many of them I would never see again after that night. My mom would always say we don’t have much but what we do have is sometimes way more than what others have. My mother was the strongest person I ever known, who also had the biggest heart. Two years before we found out she only had six months to live my mother kicked breast cancers ass. At least so we thought until the cancer showed back up in her liver and the doctors only gave her six months to live. At first nothing changed for her life or mine after finding out the bad news in fact she made me promise not to tell my brothers or anyone else. She continued working up to about the last two months. That is when things started to fall apart. The first thing to go for my mother was her memory. I can remember coming home from work and my mother talking to me about going camping like I was five years old. Not knowing how to handle it I just played along with the conversation, it seemed to make her happy. This went on and off for about two weeks and then things really started heading down hill pretty quick. I had to get help from hospice care, to have help taking care of her, because she was basically bedridden and unable to care for herself. Hospice came into our home and set up a medical bed and other medical equipment in our formal living area, this was the open area in our house. At this point I quit my job to take care of her because hospice care was only coming to the house like twice a day the rest was up to me. I had made a promise to her not to let her die in a hospital and I was trying to keep that promise. As the days went on the care became more and more demanding not really physical but mentally. I was doing everything thing for her, from bathing, changing her clothes, and bed pan to forcing her to take the meds she still need to take for pain control. At this point she was no longer able to speak, it seemed like her mind was completely gone just a blank stare. My breaking point was met, I was unable to care for my mother at home anymore she had pretty much slipped into a coma. I had to have my mother moved to the hospital, I couldn’t keep that promise I made her and still to this day I beg for forgiveness from her. She was only in the hospital for three nights before she passed. My brothers and I took turns at night staying with her and my night was night three. That night was a special night, it was her birthday. On the night she passed away we got her a birthday cake and song happy birthday to our mother for the last time. After singing happy birthday and blowing out the candles we each gave her a hug. When it became my turn to give her a hug I told her it was ok for her to go, that we will be ok and I love you. It wasn’t long after that she passed away at the age of 40. Not long after my mother died my life begun to fall apart. I could not deal with people always asking me if I was ok or if I needed anything. I started pushing everyone away and shutting out the ones I love. I needed to make a positive change in my life because my mother would not want me to live this way. So I joined to U. S. Army and left home and everybody I loved. I didn’t really have a plan I just knew I needed my space and this was the only way I was going to get it. In fact I wrote a letter to my girlfriend breaking up with her on my flight to Germany, after I had completed all my initial training. I was completely alone for the first time after my mother died. Not a day goes by that I do not think about my mother and how her passing changed my life. Today I live my life the way I believe she would have wanted me to, with an open mind, trying to see the positives in every situation I find myself in. There are things I wish I would have handled differently when it comes to my love ones I left behind when I joined the Army. My mother’s passing away changed my life in so many ways and has dad a major impact on the way I raise my kids, I do not take the time I have with them for granted. You never know when your time is up, so I say make the most of it and never wait until tomorrow to tell someone you love them.

Mr Guan

Report Report Due: pm Friday 23rd August, Week 4. Hand in report electronically vie e-learning. Time to complete: This assessment task should take the average student 10-15 hours to complete, Including research time. Late Penalty: As for all other assessment tasks for this course, late penalties are 20% of the maximum possible mark per day or part thereof.Time of submission Is logged via e-learning, note that the e-learning time may not be the same as your watch/phone/computer timely Weekends and public holidays are not included . Plagiarism: You must include a plagiarism compliance statement. Reports may be checked for plagiarism with an online system, please correctly use quotes from sources and reference them correctly as per the author/ date or numbered system. Refer to the library weapon for guidance on referencing and plagiarism.Any report found to have been plagiarisms will be processed as per the University plagiarism policy. Task Description: Written case study report (20% of course total assessment). Present a written technical (In report format as per lecture one guidelines) case study focusing on a major workplace safety incident that occurred (anywhere In the world). The emphasis and purpose of the report Is to; research, describe and discuss the Incident primarily In relation to the Safety Systems related to the event. Ђ Describe the Incident/event and possible causes of the event (including causes related to the management/operation of safety systems) Relate the incident/event to any failures in safety systems (including managerial) that were present Discuss what preventative measures could/should have been taken What changes would you suggest be made to limit the possibility of repeat event occurring? How would you review the effectiveness of your proposed changes?Word Limit: This Report should be approximately 2000-3000 words in length (not including the title page, summary, table of contents, references or appendices). Writing concise yet Informative reports Is an Important part of being a Professional Engineer. The ability to accurately convey Information In a concise, relevant and effective manner is a key skill that you should endeavourer to develop. Reports containing more than 3250 or fewer than 1750 words will result in mark penalties of 0% of the possible mark for every 250 words under/ over the limit.Grade Descriptors A+ A ABA+ B BIO 95 90 85 80 75 High Distinction 85% – 100% As for the criteria for ‘Distinction', however the work also shows a high degree of professionalism. The report structure is excellent and provides a convincing discussion/argument of the topic. There is good evidence of in depth, critical discussion of the topic. Report has excellent grammar, spelling and Is of a concise nature. The work shows a good appreciation of the general alma/purpose of the topic. There Is good coverage of the topic with relevant and accurate support ND a well developed scholarly discussion/argument .Grammar and spelling are very good and report is reasonably concise. The work is relevant and addresses several reasonable amount of the content and a scholarly discussion/argument has been advanced. There is limited evidence of an overall integrative view of the topic. Grammar, spelling and conciseness are lacking. The information in the various aspects of the work is relevant and accurate but is not integrated and only covers some core aspects of the topic. There is an attempt at a scholarly discussion/ argument and the work indicates a limited understanding of the topic.